The need to locate lost individuals, pets, or items has long been a problem. Additionally, people often leave their pet or child in the car resulting in disastrous consequences that could have been easily avoided. In the case of missing children, research has shown that the most critical aspect of successfully locating a child is the speed at which he or she can be found. Presently, systems such as the Amber Alert system require a relatively large amount of time upfront. For example, the parent must realize the child is lost, contact law enforcement, and explain the incident, after which law enforcement must confirm the abduction and then proceed to send alerts to the population. Due to the amount of time that elapses before the alerts are sent, Amber alerts often cover a large geographical area to account for the distance that the perpetrator may have traveled in the interim.
Some tracking systems have been created to address the inherent delays in the Amber alert system. With these tracking systems, the child or other individual must carry a tracking device that is capable of communicating over a network (e.g., a Wi-Fi or cellular network) to report its location. Oftentimes, location is reported using GPS coordinates. which may not always be available (e.g., when the child is indoors) rendering such systems unreliable. Also, if the child is separated from the tracking device or the tracking device loses power, the system will fail.